Mohali, Nov. 4 -- Fire broke out during wedding ceremonies at two adjoining function halls - Aura Garden and Sekhon Palace - located on the Zirakpur-Panchkula road on Sunday night. Both venues, rented for social events, were hosting separate wedding functions when the blaze erupted, prompting panic among guests. Fire officials said preliminary investigation suggests the fire was caused by crackers used during the wedding celebrations. According to eyewitnesses, the fire started around 10.30 pm, reportedly due to fireworks used during one of the celebrations and quickly spread through decorative material made of cloth and synthetic fabric. Within minutes, the flames engulfed the temporary pandals at Aura Garden and leapt to the adjacent Sekhon Palace. Hundreds of guests, including children and senior citizens, were safely evacuated before the blaze intensified. Police have registered an FIR under Sections 125 and 324(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against the owners of both the establishments for negligence and violation of fire safety norms. Jaswant Singh, in-charge of Zirakpur fire brigade, said ten fire tenders from Zirakpur, Dera Bassi and Panchkula rushed to the spot and the firefighting teams managed to douse the blaze, preventing the flames from spreading to nearby structures. Assistant divisional fire officer (AFDO) Amrinderpal Singh said, "By the grace of God, there was no loss of life, but this could have been far worse. He warned that the shiny decorative materials commonly used in such functions are highly flammable and unsafe once a fire starts." "Temporary sheds used in marriage palaces are also unsafe as they don't comply with fire safety norms, Similar incidents had occurred earlier, including one in Sangrur where sparks from welding work ignited decorations at an event venue. We are investigating what lapses occurred in this case," Amrinderpal Singh added. According to preliminary investigation it appears that the fire may have started due to crackers. Additional superintendent of police (IPS) Ghazalpreet Kaur and Dhakoli SHO Simranjit Singh supervised the evacuation and coordinated the fire control operations. The Zirakpur Municipal Council has formed a committee to investigate the cause of the fire and assess safety lapses at both venues....